Disintegrating Manipur: Sown seeds (1)

Manindra Konsam *
Editor Sanathong, a monthly magazine

MANIPUR - The name itself brought discord. It spells hatred not only to the CHINGMEE (HAO) communities of this land, but also among the TAMMEE (MEITEIS) too.

Any sensible person, who has little or more inclination of knowing the history of Manipur and its people will readily subscribe to the many facts that:

• The history of our nation and ourselves had trodden a multifaceted long route of two thousand years.
  
  

• Our neighbors- the Burmese termed us KATHE, equally applying the same to our land. Likewise, we were CASSEY to the Shans, MECKLEY to the Assamese, and MOGLIE to the Cacharis.
  
  

• Similarly our forefathers had also identified their neighboring peoples by giving different names. Assamese were TEKHAO to them and TAKHEL for Tripuris, MAYAANG for Cacharis, KHAAGI for Chinese, PONG for Shans and for those of Burmese- SENBI, KABO, AWAA (Ava) or KHAAMRAN; according to different geographical region.
  
  

• Our forefathers themselves named this land in different periods as-
  1. TILLIKOKTOM AHAANBA, 2.MEERAA PONGTHOKLAM, 3.TILLIKOK LEIKOIREN and 4.MUWAAPALLI. On the other hand the CHINGMEE (HAO) and those in different parts of the valley (those SALAIs including MOIRANG already amalgamated to Meitei nation; Moirang retained its sovereignty till the middle of the 18th century AD) called the central part of our nation as "POIREI MEITEI LEIPAAK". Where the terms POIREI and MEITEI were synonymous for the dominant group- MEITEI, who were mainly inhabitants of the central valley.
  
  

• The present name of our Meitei Nation (I shall rather use the term OUR STATE, as I'm a person who feel proud to be an Indian Meitei)- MANIPUR, is of very recent origin dating only after Meiteis and British fully established link, not earlier than 19th century AD.

From the above points of fact, many Meiteis from different walks of life including Scholars/Historians may raise their eyebrows or even build up a temperament to crush me, a humble non-entity person for saying the last point, i.e. the name of our state - MANIPUR was given by the British only to apply their theory of "Divide and Rule Policy" to our land and people. But, for highlighting this point of mine, I have reasonably convincing logical arguments supplementing with historical evidences as proofs.

Though, our state (then Nation) adopted Hinduism during the reign of Meidingu Paamheiba (1709-1748 AD), influx of Hindu from mainland India to this land started since the reign of Meidingu Kyaamba (1467-1508 AD). As for an existing evidence of it, we have 'BISHNU MANDIR'at Lamaangdong (Bishenpur).

Now, an important point to be noted is that during the long period of more than 200 years, starting from the time of Meidingu Kyaamba to Meidingu Paamheiba, assimilating Hindu never tried, at any point of time, to give a new name such like - MANIPUR to this land.

Here, let me have the privilege of convincing myself that every learned Meitei knows about the courses of history that took place during the reign of Meidingu Paamheiba under the captaincy of one Bengali Vaisnava preacher Shantidas Goshwami. Where, we the Meiteis were baptized to Hinduism with a decree and had to face many processes of Hindunisation willingly or unwillingly. However, we of the present generation, depending on the entire available written document cannot find any evidence that may prove that Mahanta Shantidas Goshai ever tried to name our land- MANIPUR. No historical account is available to prove that this land became to be known as MANIPUR during the magical Hindunisation Drama of Shantidas Goshai.

Historically, Manipur established the first contact with the British during the reign of Meidingu Gourashyam (Maraamba) (1761-1763 AD). That was more than a decade later, by which time the annals of Meidingu Paamheiba and Mahanta Shantidas Goshai became past history. During those periods, to be precise, on the 14th of September 1762 AD, the first treaty between the Meitei King (Meidingu) and British East India company was signed (Our Scholars and Historians used to refer this treaty as - "ANGLO - MANIPURI TREATY", which I take as an over sighted mistake that has brought many blunders misunderstanding among us).

On this so called first "Anglo-Manipuri treaty, 14th September 1762" signed by one Hari Goshai on behalf of Jai Singh (another name of Maharaja Bhagyachandra- then Crown Prince) and Mr Harry Verelst, chief of Chittagong factory (of present Bangladesh), nowhere in the articles of the treaty wherever applicable mentioned this land as MANIPUR. Instead, the term MECKLEY is found inserted as representing name of this land and its peoples. This is a clear indication of not naming this land as of present- MANIPUR till that period of time.

We all know. We Meiteis (excluding CHAKPA, LOI and PAANGAL) started embracing Hinduism on a coercing state decree. But, present Vaisnava Gouriya Culture prevailing among Meiteis started flourishing to the maxim only during the reign of Meidingu Chingthangkhomba (yet another name of Maharaja Bhagyachandra) (1763-1798 AD) and to that Maharaja Chandrakirti (1850-1886 AD) had only given a complete shaping.

Now again, an important point to be noted is, though, Meiteis and Gouriya Vaisnavism became distinctly bondage on each other fully during the reign of Maharaja Bhagyachandra, no historical account mentioned about thrusting the name of this land as MANIPUR. However, treaties signed between the British and either the king of MEITEI LEIPAAK or of AVA (AWAA) after the first quarter of 19th century AD, such as- "TREATY OF YANDABOO - 24th Feb. 1826", "AGREEMENT BETWEEN MAHARAJ GAMBHIR SINGH and COMMISSIONER F.J.GRANT- 18th April 1833" and "AGREEMENT ON KABO VALLEY - 25th Jan.1834" have started referring this state as MUNNIPORE.

Here the big question is, how!! The MECKLEY of Assamese, KATHE of Burmese, and MOGLEY of Cacharis and to our forefathers- POIREI MEITEI LEIPAAK turned out suddenly in the name of "MUNNIPORE" for the land and "MUNNIPORIES" for its people! Is there any historical evidence that can prove that this land embraced the name- MANIPUR during the reign of Maharaja Gambhir Singh (1825-1834 AD)?

Of course, then there might have been living numbers of innocent Meitei souls that believed this land to be that of Mahabharata as we had many fanatical protagonist on that line till very recent time (still we are having a few). But, could any of them prove that the name of this land was named after consideration as that of Mahabharata during such period of such king or others? They couldn't. Likewise, on the other hand, we have been having numbers of Meitei SANAMAHI fanatics who have long been acting as protagonists of anti-Hindu Drama among Meiteis worldwide. Their main thrust has always been on the line of venom spitting propagandas against Meitei Gouriya Vaisnavas (simply Meitei Hindu) and preaching hatred on everything of a Meitei Hindu. They have never been tired on defaming our great king Garibniwaaz (Paamheiba) who was one on whose mightiness'we can be proud of to-day as son of the soil on our past glories. They never let themselves tired of their arrogance to blame Mahanta Shantidas Goshai for bringing Hinduism in this land- MANIPUR. (For me, I take my hat off to a person like Shantidas Goshai, who had guts to travel a distant land in those days with a high caliber to hypnotize a great king of a great Nation-"POIREI MEITEI LEIPAAK"). Can any one of these Meitei Sanamahi groups convincingly prove that the present name of this land- MANIPUR was given by Mahanta Shantidas Goshai? Nobody can. Because there is no any historical evidence like that.

Meitei revivalist (Sanamahi Culture) movement among Meiteis has started during the beginning of fourth decade of the last century. It was in the year 1930AD that "APOKPA MARUP" the first ever Meitei Sanamahi revivalist group came into existence under the leadership of LAININGHAL NAORIA FULO (1888-1941 AD) at Cachar, Assam. After that hopeful "APOKPA MARUP", many revivalist groups among the Meiteis started coming out under various banners that furled airs of wanting bloods of Meitei Hindus without any reasonable or logical argument. They at many instances cried for changing the name of this land from its present name, so saying that the name MANIPUR was given by Shantidas Goshai without considering the feelings of our CHINGMEE brethren.

Here, both the protagonist of Meitei revivalist movement and Hindu fanaticism (now of bygone era) clearly, without any known reason, over sighted an important true fact lying behind the name of our land- MANIPUR.

From all the historical writings of this land and its peoples, it's very clear that, only the British enthuse in naming our land- MANIPUR by means of referring this land as 'MANIPUR'and its people as 'MANIPURIS'in all of their treatise regarding this land and Meiteis. In the mean time injecting slow working poisons to the veins especially of CHINGMEE (HAO) of this land so that a concrete building up of hatred against TAMMEE (MEITEIS) in a process not longer than few decades.

Renaming or changing names of anything "Hardware or Software" is not a matter of rare happening. It only depends on time and situations, on which the particular things involved. So, it's no wonder that the mighty British could successfully named our land as 'MANIPUR'taking full advantages of those great enthusiasm of Hinduism that was prevalent among the Meiteis then. It's all right, no great problem in naming our land - 'MANIPUR'. We can change it anytime, with a consensus, if we don't like it. As precedent, we have GUYANA for British Guiana, THAILAND for SIAM, NAURU for Pleasant Island and so on. Nearer home, we have Andhra Pradesh for Telengana, Tamil Nadu for Madras, Karnataka for Mysore, etc. But for us, the naming of this land - 'MANIPUR'and trying to change it at any juncture of time, has always been with many unforeseen, unfortunate troubles that created dilemma between CHINGMEE and TAMMEE of this land.

The British, while successfully naming this land - MANIPUR, also tried another successful hand in terming the Meiteis only as MANIPURI in and outside Manipur. Thus, the British had been too successful in giving a deep impression to the hearts of Manipur's CHINGMEE, that, the term MANIPURI means only the Meiteis, but not all the peoples who are bona fide citizens of Manipur. Is it not a blunder from the parts of British played upon our land and our peoples? Or, is it a clear example of British's "Divide and Rule Policy"?

Whatever the intentions of the British might have been, the first seeds for disintegration of this state had been sown at the very moment. This land became MANIPUR and Meiteis as MANIPURIS.

That first sown seeds for disintegration of this land have already long sprung up at many places like a deep-rooted big banyan tree with unpruned branches on all sides.

Why our genuine leaders or so called leaders and also, our scholars or so called Scholars have so far been overlooking these ugly processes of historical facts at our land and peoples? WHY?